English 350/355
Did you have anything you wanted to talk about for this first chapter of the book?
Discuss the following quote: “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place. They come to a ranch an’ work up a stake and then they go into town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know they’re poundin’ their tail on some other ranch. They ain’t got a thing to look ahead to.” (George, p.15)
Steinbeck spends a lot of work describing the setting.
How do you feel about this place? What places have you seen that are similar?
What do you think of the way George treats Lennie?
George says he’d like to get rid of Lennie. Do you think that’s the way he really feels? Give proof for your opinion.
Why?
What has life been like for George and Lennie in the past? What do you expect it will be like for them now?
What would life be like for both these men if they didn’t have each other?
What is their dream? What do you think of it?
What happened in Weed?
Describe (physically) George and Lennie.
What is Lennie supposed to do if the boss talks to him?
What do you need to make a sentence?
Where will the subject of a sentence never be found?
Can a sentence have only one word?
Sentences needs subjects and verbs, but are also made up of clauses and phrases. These other elements of sentences help us to clarify meaning.
Independent clauses have a subject and verb, and can stand alone as a sentence
She ran
He spoke
He spoke fluent English
CANNOT stand alone as sentences, though they will also contain a subject and verb
When she ran
Although he spoke fluent English
Independent clauses will sound complete.
Dependent clauses will begin with a connecting word, and won’t sound complete.
Although
When
And
Because
After
While
Since
Santa Claus is a fat man in a red suit with a white beard.
Knowing the differences between the types of clauses will help you to identify and correct your mistakes. Some of the most common errors (run-ons and fragments) are caused by joining clauses incorrectly.
Also, by knowing the differences, you can combine clauses in different ways, which make your sentences more interesting to a reader.
Independent Clause (IC): She ran to the store.
Dependent Clause (DC): Although she ran to the store^
Noun Phrases
Prepositional Phrases
Verb Phrase
Noun Phrase = noun + modifiers
many large round stones
Prepositional Phrase = preposition
+ object and modifiers
among the large round stones
Verb Phrase = main verb + helping verbs and modifiers
were sweetly singing
has slowly vanished
Infinitive Phrases
Participial Phrases
Present Participle
Past Participle
Gerund Phrases
Infinitive Phrase = the word to with a base verb and words to complete the phrase
to move gracefully
A present or past participle and other words that complete the phrase (usually an adverb)
Present: moving gracefully
Past: greatly encouraged
Gerund Phrase = a present participle and other words that make up the phrase
Moving gracefully
Infinitive Phrases will contain to followed by the base or root form of a verb.
I like to swim when it’s hot outside.
If to is used as a preposition, it will not be followed by a verb.
I want to go to the
grocery store.
Present Participial
Phrase
Present Participial Phrases will function as adjectives in sentences
Running home, I tripped over a crack in the sidewalk.
Gerund phrases will function as nouns in sentences
Running home is my preferred method of daily exercise.
In this case, running home describes what was happening when “I” tripped.
You can think of these as describing what happened when something else was happening.
Running home is the subject of the sentence.
Joining two or more independent clauses
Chapter 19 in Focus on Writing pp 373
There are three ways to combine Independent Clauses
(IC)
IC, fanboys IC
IC; sub, IC
IC;IC
Coordinating conjunctions = FANBOYS
F or – shows reason or cause: the cat chased the mouse, for that’s what cats do.
A nd – shows addition: The boy played, and the girl danced.
N or – shows negative contrast: He has no job, nor does he have any money
B ut – shows contrast: She ate her broccoli, but she didn’t eat her carrots.
O r – shows choice: He has to eat peanut butter, or he will throw a temper tantrum.
Y et – shows contrast: It was raining, yet he went outside to play.
S o – shows consequence or result: He hit my car, so I hit him.
Use FANBOYS carefully; because each one has a specific meaning, they can’t be used interchangeably.
I need 10 FANBOYS:
1. and
2. or
3. but
4. nor
5. yet
6. so
7. for
8. yet
9. or
10. and
1. My brother and I went to the mall
2. My friends and I went to a concert
3. The cat ate a mouse
4. The dog ran down the street
5. my dog chewed my shoe
6. I like purple hippos
7. She cut her hair
8. It was fun the first day of school
9. I love the smell of roses
10. I went to the store
Second hand smoke is dangerous, and my brother and I went to the mall.
Many cars are now equipped with GPS systems, or my friends and I went to a concert.
Subs, subordinating conjunctions, or transitional words and phrases, work like FANBOYS, but have to be used with a semi-colon and a comma.
Common Subs = however, although, therefore, for example
She went to the store; however, she had no money to spend.
She had no money; therefore, she couldn’t buy the shoes she wanted.
The shoes were pretty fantastic; although, she really didn’t have anywhere to wear them.
She tried to earn the money; for example, she tried being a prostitute, but no one wanted her.
Row 1 = #1
Row 2 = #2
Row 3 = #3
Row 4 = #4
Row 5 = #5
You can also link together two related ICs with just a semi-colon.
The sentences have to be related in order for this to work:
Yes: My cat killed a mouse; I was disgusted
No: My cat killed a mouse; I like purple unicorns
Complete the sentence with a second IC:
Fast-food restaurants are an American institution;
McDonald’s is known for its hamburgers;
Taco Bell serves Mexican-style food;
Many fast-food restaurants offer some low-fat menu items;
Many teenagers work there;
Read “Fish Cheeks” pp 722 and answer the “Focus On” questions that follow
Do any practices from chapter 19 that we didn’t do in class if you need further practice